Shirt-waist holder and skirt-supporter.



NO. '737,821'. V PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1903'.

' R. G. BROWN. SHIRT WAIST HOLDER AND SKIRT SUPRORTRR. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 10. 1902. No MODEL.

UNTTED STATES Patented September 1, 1903.'

PATENT OEEICE. i

EDVARD G. BROWN, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,821, datedSeptember 1, 1903.

Application tiled June 10,1902. Serial No. 111,017. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, EDWARD G. BROWN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at But'- falo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shirt-VVaist Holdersand Skirt- Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to the garment attachmentswhich are carried by a belt encircling the waist of the wearer and whichare provided with two sets of spurs or teeth, one of which serves tosupport the skirt and the other to hold down the shirtwaist.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a light, neat,and compact device of this class which can be cheaply produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide the device with simplemeans for protecting the fingers of the wearer from injury by the teethin adjusting the skirt and hook ing or buttoning it.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectionof the holder and supporter in connection with the overlapping portionsof a shirt-waist and a skirt, showing the finger-protector turned downover the skirt-supporting teeth. Fig. 2 is a similar section showing theprotector turned up to permit said teeth to penetrate the skirt-band.Fig. 3 is a detached horizontal section of the device and itscarrying-belt, showing the tinger-protector in the positioncorresponding to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section taken immediatelyabove the protector, the latter being turned at right angles to the bodyof the device. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device with the beltomitted. Fig. 6 is a similar view with the finger-protector removed.Fig.7 is a detached perspective view ofthe protector, showing theretaining-tongue sprung aside for interlocking the protector with thebody-plate. Fig. Sis an enlarged vertical section of the device detachedfrom the garments and the belt. Fig. 9 is a horizontal section thereofon an enlarged scale, the plane of the section being immediately abovethe lower toothed bar of the device.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

A indicates the lower portion of the shirtwaist,and B the adjacentportion of the skirt, which overlaps the waist.

The combined holder and supporter consists of an'oblong plate O of thinsheet metal, which is provided near its ends with vertical slots orloops c for the passage of the usual belt E, which is fastened aroundthe wearers person over thevshirt-waist. This belt extends across theback or inner side of the plate C.' The plate is also provided above andbelow its middle with longitudinal slots d, forming upper and lower barsd' d2. The upper bar d is provided at its lower edge with a row ofpointed downwardly-extending teeth d3, adapted to penetrate theshirt-waist, while the lower bar cl2 is provided at its upper edge witha similar row of upwardly-extending teeth dl, adapted to penetrate theskirt-band, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower toothed bar is pressed oroffset outwardly at an angle to the body ofthe plate C, so that itsteeth extend beyond the outer face of the plate for reliably catchingthe skirt-band, and the upper bar is pressed inwardly at an angle to theplate, so that its teeth extend beyond the back of the same for reliablycatching the shirt-waist.

As shown in the drawings, the toothed bars d d3 are bodily pressed orturned in opposite directions at an angle to the plane of the plate C,the metal being drawn or stretched at the junction of the ends of thebars with the body of the plate and the teeth remaining substantially inthe plane of the bars. By this construction oblique stiiiening webs orbraces d5 are formed between the ends of the inclined bars d dgand thebody portion of the device. These webs resist outward deflection of thebars relatively to the body-plate under the strains exerted upon them bythe upward pull of the waist and the downward pull of the skirt, andthey also resist inward dellection of the toothed bars from the pressureof the skirt-band or the dressing-belt. By this construction the plate,with its two sets of oppositely-pointing teeth, can be stamped from asingle dat blank without the necessity of doubling its upper and lowerportion, thus rendering the device thinner and lighter than one havingsuch doubled portions and avoid IOO ing the clumsy and bulgingappearance of such a fastener.

In adjusting the skirt and hooking the same the wearers fingers areliable to be in-` j ured by catching on the upwardly-extending teeth d4of the fastener. To prevent this, the plate C is provided with a movableguard or protector F, capable of assuming a position in which itprevents the fingers from coming in contact with the teeth whileadjusting and hooking the skirt and of being moved clear of the teethfor catching the skirt-band over the same. The protector shown in thedrawings consists of a vertically-Swingin g bar or narrow platepivotally arranged in a longitudinal slot f, formed centrally in theplate and made of the proper width to overlie the lower teeth d4 whenturned to the inclined position shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The protector islonger than the slot fand provided in its ends with notches or slits ee', which receive the end walls of the slot. One of these slitssay theright-hand one-is longer than that at the other end of the protector,and the distance between the inner end of this long slit and theopposite end of the protector is shorter than the length of the slot f,so that after engaging the right-hand slit with the plate C and shiftingthe protector toward the right to its limit its left-hand end can bepassed into the slot f and the adjacent slit engaged with the plate C byshifting the protector toward the left. The protector is held againstendwise displacement in this position by a tongue e2, extending acrossits long slit and interlocking with an opening g, formed in the plate.This tongue is normally-Hush with the body of the protector, and inengaging the adjacent end ofthe protector with the plate the tongue issprung laterally for this purpose, and after shifting the protector toits proper position, as above described, the tongue springs back intothe opening g. By this construction the protector is retained in placewithout the use of separate attachments, andit can be cheaply stamped ina single piece. The protector preferably extends inward slightly beyondthe plate C, as shown at e3, so that the same practically forms a lever.The belt E bears against the inner or short arm e3 of the protector andby reason of its tension serves to yieldingly retain the protectoreither in its depressed position, in which it covers the teeth d4, or inits elevated position, in which it clears the same.

In the use of the holder and supporter before adjusting and hooking theskirt the protector is turned down over the lower teeth d4, thuspreventing the fingers from coming in contact with the teeth, and afterhooking the skirt the protector is turned up and the skirt caught overthe exposed teeth. In order to counteract the tendency of the belt tobend or arch the plate C, which would be liable to cause binding of theprotector, the ends of the plate are preferably bent or offset inwardlyout of the plane of its body portion as shown at h.

I claim as my invention-.-

l. A garment holder and supporter, consisting of a plate having an upperhorizontal bar provided at its lower edge with downwardly-extendingteeth which are inclined inwardly at an angle to the plate and adaptedto penetrate a shirt-waist, and a lower horizontal bar provided at itsupper edge with upwardly-extending teeth which are inclined outwardly atan angle to the plate and adapted to penetrate a skirt, substantially asset forth.

2. A garment holder and supporter, consisting of a plate having an upperhorizontal bar which is inclined inwardly at an angle to the plate andprovided at its lower edge with downwardly-extending teeth adapted topenetrate a shirt-waist, and a lower horizontal bar which is inclinedoutwardly at an angle to the plate and provided at its upper edge withupwardly-extending teeth adapted to penetrate a skirt, the ends of saidtoothed bars being connected with the body of the plate by obliquestiffening webs or braces, substantially as set forth.

3. A skirt-supporter consisting of a plate having spurs or teeth adaptedto penetrate the skirt, and a protector` or guard-bar pivotaliy attachedto said plate and capable of being turned down over said teeth or swungupward to clear the same, substantially as set forth.

4. A skirt-supporter, consisting of a plate provided with a horizontalslot and a row of teeth adapted to penetrate the skirt, and aprotectorconsistingofaswingingbararranged lOO in said slot and providedat its ends with recesses or slits which interlock with the end walls ofthe slot, substantially as set forth.

5. A skirt-supporter, consisting of a plate vprovided with a row ofteeth adapted to penetrate the skirt, a horizontal slot arranged abovesaid teeth and an opening adjacent to one end of said slot, and aswinging protector which is longer than said slot and provided at itsends With longitudinal slits which receive the end walls of the slot andwith a locking-tongue arranged to engage in said opening and extendingacross the adjacent slit, substantially as set forth.

6. A skirt-supporter, consisting of a plate provided at its ends withbelt-loops, a slot arranged between said loops and a row of teethadapted to penetrate the skirt, and a swinging finger-protector confinedin said slot and having its outer portion arranged to cover said teethand its inner portion extended beyond the back of said plate, wherebysaid inner portion bears against the belt passed through said loops,substantially as set forth.

Witness myhand this 7th day of June, 1902.

EDW'ARD G. BROWN.

Witnesses:

THEO. L. Porr, CARL F. GEYER.

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